


Vocal Range

by kaleidomusings



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Family, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Insecure Alec Lightwood, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-05 17:00:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16371569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaleidomusings/pseuds/kaleidomusings
Summary: “Is everyone staring at me?” Alec asks.“You had a glow up,” Izzy replies, which just confuses him even more.





	Vocal Range

**Author's Note:**

> There's some brief mentions of bullying, because if you were like me and had an unfortunate high school experience, you're well aware that teenagers can be pretty awful to each other. Please watch out for that.

“Is everyone staring at me?” Alec asks as he pulls up into the school parking lot. 

It’s the first day of junior year and everyone keeps glancing in his direction, even doing obvious double takes as he throws his bag over his shoulder. 

“That’s pretty conceited,” Jace teases as he and Izzy jump out of the car so Alec can lock it behind them. Which is rich coming from Jace, who is more vain than a peacock. 

But Alec is so used to being the overlooked one (how can he not, surrounded by both Izzy and Jace) and doesn’t know what to do with all this attention. A group of girls giggle as he passes and a guy walks right into an open locker instead of watching where he’s going, too busy staring at Alec on his way to class. 

“You had a glow up,” Izzy says, which just confuses him even more. 

He doesn’t use the internet much and hardly ever touches his social media, so he has no idea what those words mean. 

“Meaning you got hot over the summer,” Jace explains, correctly reading the bemused frown on his face. 

Alec’s frown deepens. “That’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard you say to me.”

Their mothers have known each other since college and they practically grew up as brothers. Hearing Jace use that word to describe him is as terrible as Izzy using the phrase _glow up_.

Besides, it’s not true. Maybe he grew eight inches and finally traded in his glasses for contacts, but that’s the only noticeable change about him. And fine, maybe he also lost the baby fat in his cheeks and got a tan during their family trip to Hawaii, but really that’s it. 

The way everyone is acting this morning just doesn’t make sense. 

“Hey,” Lydia says when she runs into them in the hallway and hugs the three of them. “How was Maui?”

“Hot,” Alec replies. He stops at his locker to grab his textbooks while Izzy tells her all about the snorkeling and the sea turtles and the beautiful waterfalls. 

And at least Lydia doesn’t make a big deal about his supposedly new appearance. 

“Magnus is coming over,” Jace says and Alec immediately turns, lighting up with the brightest smile. 

He hasn’t seen his best friend since summer break started, what with Magnus leaving for over a month to visit his family in Indonesia and Alec having his own family obligations. They emailed each other constantly and called one another whenever possible, but Alec has never missed anyone as much as he did Magnus when he was on the other side of the world. 

So when he catches sight of a familiar figure making its way toward him, he doesn’t hesitate. He drops his bag and runs to meet him, then throws his arms around the one person in the world who saw a scared baby-faced freshman and saved him from himself. 

Magnus returns the hug, one of his hands reaching up to hold the back of Alec’s neck, and he can’t tell which of their hearts is pounding so loudly against his ribcage. Maybe it’s both of theirs.  

“I missed you,” Alec murmurs against his neck. 

“I missed you too,” Magnus replies and -when they finally let each other go- his eyes are shining. “You got taller.”

Alec didn’t think his smile could get any bigger, but Magnus makes everything possible. “And you cut your hair.”

The style isn’t what Alec is used to, but it suits Magnus so well that he can’t complain. The ends are even dyed red, matching the red coat he’s wearing and his dark pants. 

Magnus studies him in turn, his beautiful brown eyes appreciative as he takes in the olive green henley and faded jeans he has on. 

“I see you’ve upgraded from hoodies,” Magnus says playfully. “Did Isabelle dress you?”

“I can dress myself thank you very much,” Alec protests in mock outrage, choosing not to mention that Izzy did in fact help him with shopping for these clothes. That’s ammunition Magnus doesn’t need in his arsenal. 

But judging by the amusement glittering in those knowing eyes, he’s not fooling anybody. 

—

Despite the good mood he’s in since being reunited with Magnus, he’s still bewildered by the way everyone else is acting around him. 

Three people in English ask for his number, but thankfully Miss Rollins starts class before he has to respond. Then in Chemistry, two girls keep bringing up Homecoming, like they think if they mention it enough times Alec will ask one of them to be his date. 

The day gets progressively worse as more people continue to notice him, except they’re way more persistent and refuse to give up even after he tells them no. 

After a really unnerving conversation with his math teacher -Aldertree- about how much Alec has apparently grown _so mature_ over the summer, he’s painfully relieved when Lydia saves him from it. 

By the time lunch comes around, all Alec wants to do is spend some time with Magnus. He’s a senior already and they don’t have any classes together, so they’re limited to only seeing each other at lunch and after school. But again, it seems like the rest of the school is hell-bent on interrupting the few moments he has with Magnus because nobody can take a hint. 

His friends try to run interference, but there’s only so much they can do, and what little patience Alec had left shatters when Jonathan Morgenstern approaches their table. 

“Hello, Alec,” he says, ignoring everyone else. And that includes Clary, his own sister. 

From what he’s heard, their parents divorced when they were young, which is why they have different last names and live on opposite sides of town. 

Alec can’t even imagine what it must be like to be estranged from his sister like that. Even if Morgenstern is a complete ass. 

“Let’s go out for coffee later,” he says, when Alec doesn’t respond. Despite the fact Jace and Izzy are glaring so intently at him it’s a wonder his huge head doesn’t catch on fire. “Or dinner.”

Alec looks up from his plate of fries and he can’t believe the absolute _nerve_ of this guy. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

This is the same Jonathan Morgenstern who made Alec’s life a living hell all through middle school until now, bullying him and calling him the worst kind of names. He made Alec hate everything about himself for so long and now he thinks he can just ask Alec out for coffee just like that?

“You make me sick, Morgenstern,” he tells him, just in case he didn’t already know. 

A hateful look, the one Alec recognizes after years of living in fear of it, crosses his face. “What did you just say to me?”

Alec stands and he’s never been so glad that he’s tall enough to tower over Morgenstern the way he is now. “You heard me. There is no universe where I would _ever_ date you, so fuck off.”

Everyone at his table immediately stands too and stares Morgenstern down, daring him to make a move. Fortunately, he seems to realize he’s outnumbered and quickly leaves. 

“Alexander,” Magnus says and touches his elbow lightly. He slowly turns and finds Magnus gazing at him with the most gentle look on his face. “I’m so proud of you.”

“We all are,” Izzy says, making Alec feel like he just faced down a great and terrible demon and won.

—

There’s nothing Alec wants to do more than to go home and take a nap, but he forces himself through the rest of the day, no matter how excruciating it is. 

Much to his relief, not as many people pepper him with questions about whether he’s single and if he wants to go out behind the bleachers with them to make out. 

The only thing that makes it somewhat bearable are the encouraging messages his sister and friends send him during class. Although the best ones are from Magnus, who almost makes him forget how awful today has been. 

And Magnus has always known how to draw Alec out of his shell to show the world all the best parts of himself. He also constantly reminds Alec that he’s wonderful and smart and beautiful, when Magnus is the one who is all those things and more. 

When the final bell rings, Alec rushes out and ignores everyone who tries to talk to him. 

Magnus is already waiting for him at his car, along with Izzy and Jace. 

“I thought you might want to come over,” he says and Alec nods gratefully. 

Of course he wants to spend time with Magnus after such an exhausting day. 

“Give me your keys,” Izzy orders, which Alec does without protest. “I’ll pick up Max.”

She kisses his cheek and Jace claps a hand on his shoulder. 

“I’ll call you later,” he promises and the worry in his voice makes Alec smile. 

“Sure.”

Magnus takes his hand and leads him to his car, which Alec gets into as quickly as possible. He sees some people look over and start whispering to each other, so he glares at them until they turn away. 

Music starts playing as soon as Magnus pulls out of the school parking lot and Alec looks over to find Magnus smiling at him, which he can’t help returning. 

When they were still getting to know each other, they listened to so many different kinds of music together. Alec was still a freshman at the time and didn’t have a car, but Magnus would take them driving and Alec would lean out the window, singing at the top of his lungs. 

It was the first time in his life he’s done something like that before. 

For most of his childhood, Alec felt like he was never seen or heard. Like he was always standing at the edge of an abyss and no matter how loudly he screamed for help into that void, no one ever stopped to listen. 

Except for Magnus. 

With Magnus, he feels like he can sing out everything he’s feeling -the good and the bad- and have complete trust in the knowledge that there’s someone who actually wants to hear him.  

It’s a feeling unlike anything he’s felt before. 

—

“Nothing’s changed in here,” Alec says as he lays back on the bed. 

Magnus looks up from his vinyl collection and glances over at him curiously. “Did you think it would?”

Alec stares at the walls, covered in posters and Magnus’ paintings of abstract designs and colors, and shrugs. “I guess not.”

But things have changed, haven’t they? 

The kids at school are treating him differently because of his supposed transformation over the summer, ignoring the fact that he was practically invisible to them just a few months ago. And this is Magnus’ last year before he graduates and then he’ll leave for college. 

Not to mention Alec is a junior now and has to get started on his own college applications in the next few months. 

Everything is changing and he doesn’t know how to stop it. 

“You’re overthinking it,” Magnus says as he turns on his record player and Pat Benatar belts out, _We are strong!_

“I’m not,” Alec mutters halfheartedly. 

Magnus laughs as he sits on the edge of the bed and places his hand so close to Alec’s foot that he could easily wrap his fingers around his ankle if he wanted to. 

Alec wants him to. 

He wants Magnus to kiss him. He wants Magnus to fall for him the way Alec did as a silly little freshman, when the most beautiful boy he’d ever seen flew at the guys bullying him with a furious look on his face. 

Alec hopes he can get accepted to the same college, so he can be Magnus’ roommate and later on they can get an apartment together. 

He hopes they can be together forever. 

…Okay, maybe he’s overthinking this after all. 

“Magnus, do I really look that different now?” Alec asks as he leans up on his elbows, because he honestly wants to know and trusts his best friend will tell him the truth. 

But Magnus shakes his head. “No. I always thought you were cute.”

Alec’s heartbeat thunders in his ears -so loud Magnus is sure to hear it- and he tries not to be too hopeful but he can’t help it. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” Magnus says and actually reaches out to curl his fingers around Alec’s ankle. “You’re probably sick of it after a day like today, but I’d like to ask you out.”

Alec swallows hard and his cheeks flush bright red. 

He sits up and cups Magnus’ cheek, meeting his eyes to show just how genuine Alec is when he tells him, “I only ever wanted it to be you.”

And when Magnus smiles at him, warm and incredibly soft, Alec hears his heart _sing_. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a comment with your thoughts and kudos. You can also find me on Twitter under the same name.


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